Tips to host non-contact races and fill lobbies.

KWF1981

Seeing many complaints over this, and it's a lil' easier to pop up a thread, IMO.

If folk have other tips/advice here, please, help out a fellow forum user and drop any ideas in.

Before launching anything, be sure to turn matchmaking off in the settings options, and to 'remain as host' too, essential to retain control. Start>Online>Options.

Me, I host these all the time, sometimes I'm alone, or my boy runs the races as I do other things while my passive income runs. 8 minutes is approx. $16k alone. Not game changing cash, but when doing sweet FA, it's better money than wasting time on missions. Easy cash is easy cash, this is all I do to fill a race though, and once the ball is rolling, you'll clean up, I hope, lol.

Start a popular race, Plummet or something snappy and seemingly quite popular. Be sure to have matchmaking turned off in the options/settings menu beforehand as noted.

1st race, set to what ever really. It's almost a write off anyhow, the first one is to get that ball rolling. Hell, forget the non-contact part here even, and let the kids dick about. If you see they are all noobs, turn off custom cars, they often just won't race against tuned cars without one, can't blame folk there, lol. Anyway, this first race will take time to fill, so don't hang about, get 3, 4, 5 people in, and go.

Play around in there, let them think they'll win. Do whatever, but don't destroy them and win by half a minute, lol. Again, players knowing they'll lose, puts many off the next race if the lost this one by an age. (Everyone wants to feel like they'll win, fair point mind).

After the race is where it'll take, and it might even take 2 races to get that ball rolling, but once at the vote screen, follow the others, as you've set the matchmaking off, also have it set so as you are host on next job too. Once in that next jobs settings screen, open matchmaking asap, and it should start to fill far quicker, so much quicker as players from other races are being dumped in yours too. The game has a habit of needing that 1st job or 2 to get the game realising your activity is 'open to all' or some sh*t. Very hard to fill jobs when starting them cold, but lobbies always fill quick afterwards and we voted to the next job, works the same on contact missions too, in my experience.

Basically, write off race 1, retain control, and don't return to freemode, they fill ever so quickly once you get in that 'active pool'. (Didn't know how best to say it, techno talk ain't my thing - Sorry if I made this seem long winded, but for me, this works gold - Once races are 'hot' then my Pariah/Vagner comes out, lol).

Genuinely, after last nights joy, still works well. And when you get stuck in there, the money is easily comparable to most anything, and the RP cannot be beaten, not with this frequency.

By all means, lock her up if this is nonsense to all, but it's where I had success here. And again, if others know of useful hosting/winning race tips, always welcome.

Volganor

I know that matchmaking and lobby hosting had its quirks and tried to understand it in the past by checking out a specific guide on Reddit that I can't seem to find anymore.

If I recall it correctly, the author stated that the number of initial invites sent out by the game was limited to twenty five and those would prioritise your friends and crew before actually moving to similarly skilled players and then, finally, to people who had participated in similar types of jobs in the past. This I can confirm because I seem to get mostly invites for Adversary Modes or stunt races when first starting the game, and not very often, but then I'll get more invites for other things similar to whatever I played before returning to a lobby.

He also advised against having a big list of friends or belonging to a big crew in case the people you have closest to you weren't interested in that kind of job, so invites wouldn't be wasted. He also claimed you shouldn't host a job from a public lobby because of that same invite prioritisation. Basically, have a small list of friends, belong to a small crew or none at all, and host from I/O or empty sessions.

Bear in mind I can't confirm any of this and I'd love to credit the author but haven't found this guide yet. If I do, I'll update this post.

Maybe someone more experienced on how the game works can shed some light on this? Fun, are you there?

Still, I always wondered how the game's messed up matchmaking... Works? And this might be the thread for it. Kudos, man.

Edit: And, yes, the author of that guide also said that lobbies do fill up easier after the third or so job.

kenmy13999

My best tip for winning R* created stunt races are to swap the Vagner with the X80 on most of them exept vespucci and downtown loop, might be a couple more but those two comes to mind. Vagner is no good in tubes and loops, both x80 and Nero Custom have better top speed and are better in tubes and loops so you'll have a better chance of getting faster lap times in those imo

Edit: to the guy above me, I'm in a crew with just below 1000 members and I have around 200 people on my friend list so I don't think it's to much hold in that theory if I understood what it said correctly

KWF1981

With regards to the mention of crews/friends lists. It does worry me a little, lol. Only, when I do run jobs/races and such, I sometimes like to turn the matchmaking off for a few seconds and on again, I felt it restarted looking for folks, lol. But see it invites my friends a lot. But even when I don't switch the thing open or closed, they still pop up on the list of invited players every now and then while I'm reading the funny names out there.

I hope they don't get a 'beep' when I'm not spamming buttons, not had anyone complain yet, lol. But if they're being invited 4 or 5 times and I'm not actually selecting my friends list, seems harsh. Some hate to be pestered, and lord knows when selling goods and a buddy spams me with invites it can be something that niggles me, lol.

kenmy13999

I also have my own crew for different crew colours when I want to change without waiting for it to happen in my regular crew and my crew only have two members but when I have that crew active it actually seems harer to fill a lobby

Edit: sometimes it seems like it's just a few of the same names rotating on the invite screen like no one else is invited

KWF1981

I also have my own crew for different crew colours when I want to change without waiting for it to happen in my regular crew and my crew only have two members but when I have that crew active it actually seems harer to fill a lobby

Edit: sometimes it seems like it's just a few of the same names rotating on the invite screen like no one else is invited

I have minimal experience with crews I'm afraid. My PS3 days are long behind me, as that's when I was in one, and races were far easier as the game had much less to do, lol.

Sometimes I've seen the invited list look like it's gone dead and repeating lobby/friend invites all the time too. I close matchmaking and auto inv. for a minute or so, and restart it. Sometimes have to back out, and try a different job.

So much a mixed bag of good and bad with this matchmaking lark, lol. When it works, gold. But when the game goes to pot, so frustrating to get going...

I just host the first race as non contact and the ppl stay hmm.

...But when it does, ride that wave.

Naturally, there is a good amount of luck out there too, good and bad, lol.

Volganor

Random idea that just popped in my head that could help with fixing this absurd matchmaking would be a specific menu where the game asks you what sort of activity would you rather be invited to, maybe even by order of preference. Whoever chose "land race" as their preferred job would be prioritised to receive invites by people who are hosting at that time. If none were available, switch to the second preference and just work from there.

So much headache solved, I feel. Sadly, that's not how things work and we must make-do with what we have. Best of luck in filling those lobbies.

KWF1981

Yeah, such a 'Marmite' car for me. I'll see Vagner's, Nero's, Zentorno's and T20's even, and look at them more as the challenge in a line up, lol. Only to see one of the X80's just take off.

The car get a reputation for being a kids flashy toy and their go-to, but when I get a spanking proper, it's often because I just underestimated the X80. I'll definitely try and settle in mine more.

Personally, I just love my Nero Custom. Such a beast, my beastie, lol. But I am glad the super car class is closer than others at he moment. If they add races (be it just that, or with other stuff), they should show the whole of racing some love and balance things out, fix a few errors (catch up meaning 1st place can't make jumps is very poor - In The City, sports race - Terrible).

@ Gridlock.. So as when launching jobs from the pause menu/map, you get to be host on the 1st race, therefore with the remain host on, you're in charge the whole time.

Could be just an auto-pilot thing my end that does little, kid of a 'not broke, don't change it' thing maybe, lol.

StangOne50

With regards to the mention of crews/friends lists. It does worry me a little, lol. Only, when I do run jobs/races and such, I sometimes like to turn the matchmaking off for a few seconds and on again, I felt it restarted looking for folks, lol. But see it invites my friends a lot. But even when I don't switch the thing open or closed, they still pop up on the list of invited players every now and then while I'm reading the funny names out there.

I hope they don't get a 'beep' when I'm not spamming buttons, not had anyone complain yet, lol. But if they're being invited 4 or 5 times and I'm not actually selecting my friends list, seems harsh. Some hate to be pestered, and lord knows when selling goods and a buddy spams me with invites it can be something that niggles me, lol.

I host heists/races to randoms and with matchmaking open in the lobby screen the game has never once invited my friends. That comes with the auto invite option. Matchmaking on does not actually invite players it only opens your job to randoms who use the quick job option on their phones. Its possible your friends are just trying to join you and end up in your race lobby.

KWF1981

I host heists/races to randoms and with matchmaking open in the lobby screen the game has never once invited my friends. That comes with the auto invite option. Matchmaking on does not actually invite players it only opens your job to randoms who use the quick job option on their phones. Its possible your friends are just trying to join you and end up in your race lobby.

Ahh, sweet. Glad I'm not peppering buddies. I was hoping someone with a bit more knowledge would help out here a little. Thanks man.

@ Gridlock... Only myself learned of that during last years 2x contact missions. gtaforums at it's best with those little nuggets.

kenmy13999

I host heists/races to randoms and with matchmaking open in the lobby screen the game has never once invited my friends. That comes with the auto invite option. Matchmaking on does not actually invite players it only opens your job to randoms who use the quick job option on their phones. Its possible your friends are just trying to join you and end up in your race lobby.

Ahh, sweet. Glad I'm not peppering buddies. I was hoping someone with a bit more knowledge would help out here a little. Thanks man.

@ Gridlock... Only myself learned of that during last years 2x contact missions. gtaforums at it's best with those little nuggets.

When I host I have matchmaking open (so players can join through quick job), I just press auto invite and the first names that pops up is usually some on my friends list but after 2-5 friends names it's just random names that show up.

Didn't get a chance to reply to your other post regarding x80 etc before now.
I have my fastest laptimes on most R* created stunt races with the X80 and a youtube search also shows that people with the fastest times on most super tracks uses the X80, Nero Custom is a good number two tho. On tracks with few tubes and loops I choose the Vagner but on all others I use x80 because it's so much better in tubes and also higher top speed

Edit: why couldn't this just stay in the general forum for now, the only people that sees it is probably the ones that already answered..

FukNRekd

Speaking of supercar tracks... where can I find them that are not stunt races. The slow-loading list is very long and even filtering for land races hasn't produced any races for supercars. I'd like to see how my vaginer holds up in races without walls and tubes.